Marcelo Bielsa Leeds
Posted in2021-2022-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Marcelo Bielsa admits that Leeds United defeat to Southampton is ‘fair’ #LUFC

October 18, 2021
LEEDS United boss Marcelo Bielsa offered no excuses for his side's 1-0 loss at Saints, admitting: "The defeat was fair." Saints produced a dominant display at St Mary's, with Armando Broja's goal enough to take all three points. The win lifts Ralph Hasenhuttl's men above Leeds in the Premier League table, with both sides having registered just one win from their opening eight matches. Reflecting on the match, Whites boss Bielsa said: "The defeat was fair. It was justified in the first half, even if they scored in the second. "We didn’t play well, evidently. "It was difficult for us to prevent them playing out and being fluid. "It was difficult for us to recover the ball in the middle of the pitch and we didn’t prevent them from gaining possession to become promising attacks. "Evidently our game didn’t look like the one which we usually play. "Perhaps we were not as powerful as the opponent, but I don’t have the impression that we didn’t run to try and convert the difference. "Especially if you see the second half, it’s not that we played well, but in the first half we were overcome and in the second half we could not overcome them, so it was different from what happened in the first half. "But the differences in the first half, I thought they were more marked out than in the second."
Marcelo Bielsa Leeds
Posted in2021-2022-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Marcelo Bielsa gives team news for Patrick Bamford, Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips #LUFC

October 15, 2021
MARCELO Bielsa rules out Patrick Bamford as he gives an update ahead of what could be a hugely depleted squad visiting St Mary’s. Leeds United will be without their star striker while Kalvin Phillips remains a doubt, after he withdrew from England’s international squad before the break. The boss confirmed it speaking ahead of the Saints match, saying: “Patrick Bamford won't play. Kalvin Phillips has a chance of being able to do so. "(On Phillips) we will decide today, tomorrow and Saturday." However, those aren’t the only limitations for the Argentine boss – Brazilian attacker Raphinha has been one of Leeds’ most influential players with three goals this season. But he is due to play for his country in World Cup qualifying against Uruguay, which kicks off late tonight or in the early hours of tomorrow morning depending on how you view it (1:30AM). "There is no doubt that it's a short turnaround (between the games)," Bielsa admitted. "The options he has to participate in the game on Saturday depends on whether he plays this final game tonight, how many minutes he plays, how he finishes the game after participating in it.” He continued: “How efficient his rest in the next 36 hours is, considering that a third of those hours he will spend on a flight and if there is any risk that fatigue could cause injuries then we won't risk it. “There are so many aspects to consider that I can't offer you any certainty either way." Robin Koch and Luke Ayling also remain injured and unavailable to Bielsa.
Patrick Bamford
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- #MarceloBielsa hails the dedication of #PatrickBamford after striking against Saints #SAINTSFC

May 20, 2021
MARCELO Bielsa insisted goalscorer Patrick Bamford will be positive about his season even if it does not end in England selection following Leeds’ 2-0 win at Saints. The game looked to be heading for a draw until Bamford poked the ball through the legs of Saints goalkeeper Alex McCarthy to give his side a 73rd-minute lead. The striker had only one top-flight goal to his name before this season, despite spells at Crystal Palace, Norwich, Burnley and Middlesbrough, with his solitary strike coming for the latter against Southampton in May 2017. Tuesday’s goal at St Mary’s was Bamford’s 16th of the season and does no harm to his chances of securing a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the Euros. Substitute Tyler Roberts then sealed victory in added time when he tapped the ball into the back of the net. “Patrick had a very generous performance with a lot of effort and he’s had a season in which he’s shone and I’m sure he’ll be very positive about the campaign he’s had, be what may,” Bielsa said. “Everything that he’s achieved this season is because of the dedication and effort that he’s put in to show off his abilities.” Victory on the south coast guarantees a top-10 finish for Leeds following last season’s promotion. On Roberts’ first Premier League goal, the Leeds boss added: “I was happy that he scored because he had played many games and hadn’t managed to do it. “The team in the second half looked a lot more like the team that it is.”
Mateusz Klich
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- #MarceloBielsa reveals two Leeds stars that will be left out against Saints #LUFC

May 18, 2021
ROBIN Koch and Mateusz Klich will not feature again for Leeds this season after head coach Marcelo Bielsa revealed the pair have been granted early leave to boost their hopes of being involved in the European Championship. A minor hip complaint meant Koch was absent for Saturday’s 4-0 victory over Burnley and Bielsa is wary of taking an unnecessary risk with the defender and possibly jeopardising his potential participation with Germany this summer. Koch – whose first season at Leeds has been disrupted by knee surgery, sidelining him for several months – is therefore not under consideration for Tuesday’s trip to Saints or the visit of West Brom this weekend. Klich, who opened the scoring at Turf Moor, has no injury concerns but Bielsa insisted he is taking what he feels is the best course of action for the Polish midfielder. “Koch has been given early leave with the potential for him to be called up or not called up to the German national team,” Bielsa said ahead of the visit to St Mary’s. “I don’t know whether he’s going to be called up to the German national team or not. It’s just that he has a small niggle and we didn’t want to run the risk of a small niggle being aggravated into something bigger. “The injury that he has is not important and we didn’t want to take the risk of him playing and making it worse so we anticipated his holidays in the same way we did so for Klich. “(Klich) is not injured. The evaluations that I make over the campaign are for the needs of each player and in the case of Klich, the decision I made was the most favourable one for him.” Bielsa, who revealed Pablo Hernandez could return at St Mary’s, saw his side collect their fifth win in their last eight matches, banishing any notion that their approach could result in burnout towards the end of the season. They are poised for a top-half finish in their first season back in the Premier League ahead of their penultimate game at Saints, whose results took a downward turn at the start of 2021 after a strong start to the campaign. “(Saints) is a team who is in a different position in the table with regards to the performances they have had,” Bielsa said. “They have a group of players who are very capable and they didn’t finish higher up in the table because they had a phase of nine or 10 games that was negative. “But the level of the team is superior to the position they find themselves in the table.”